Fleas Control & Managment In Edmonton  

Fleas Facts

Fleas As Pest

Fleas are primarily pets (dogs, cats) and wild animals (raccoons, opossums, skunks and foxes) parasites, but will bite people. They live entirely on their host as they need a blood meal to survive and reproduce. Fleas behavior is just unlike bed bugs but they pose serious health issues as they transmit bubonic plague disease. Like bed bugs many are allergic to fleas bits and both in pets and owners get secondary infection due continue irritation on skin. The other important health issue is tapeworm where cat and dog fleas act as intermediate hosts for the tapeworm. These tapeworms infect people especially children if they swallow by any means. Beside fleas transmit diseases, most importantly their bits medically affect the host as there's bits and irritation causes  dermatitis in pets. Pets disturbed most of the time, a continue irritation, discomfort and fur loss can occur in extreme cases and animals become anemic. ​    

What Flease Look Like and How They Develope 

Fleas  are very small 3 to 4 mm or 1/8 inches in length, dark brown to black in color, wingless and body flattened from side to side and prominataly hind legs are large and used for jumping less than 1/8 inch long. 
Female fleas lay as many 500 eggs in lifetime while she lays 4 to 8 eggs at a time or 50 eggs per day. The next stage larvae f​eed on dried blood excreted from adult fleas, known as flea dirt that mean larvae do not feed on host or pets. Pets' bedding or carpet provide them shelter from light where they burrow down into  fibers. The larval stage lasts 1–2 weeks and before emerging as adult larvae pupate into silk-like cocoons. If conditions are not optimum the pupal state remains dormant for months. This is why fleas control programs require continuous monitoring and treatment.  Under normal conditions and availblity of host, fleas can complete the life cycle from egg to adult in a month. 

The initial infestation started from a infested pet, or pets bring fleas shedding from wildlife. It is not necessary fleas enter home through pets, must consider wildlife as they harbor fleas and provide all necessry ingredient of life; food, water and shelter.  In high temperatures wildlife sheds fleas larvae and adults in yards, espacially with tall and green grass lawn or other small weeds.